The FreeBSD Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the FreeBSD Project. The Foundation gratefully accepts donations from individuals and businesses, using them to fund projects which further the development of the FreeBSD operating system.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Are you aware of the tangible benefits derived from our support of the FreeBSD community? In conjunction with our fundraising efforts, we are spotlighting different people on our website and Facebook page who have received funding to work on development projects, run conferences, travel to conferences, and advocate for FreeBSD.

Please enjoy our third installment of our Faces of FreeBSD series!

Let us introduce you to Thomas
Abthorpe. We helped him attend BSDCan 2009, 2011, and 2012 by helping with his
travel expenses. Here’s his story.

Thomas' Story

My name is Thomas
Abthorpe, and I am a Server Administrator working for the Canadian Government
during the day. In my spare time I volunteer with a grassroots movement called
Bicycles for Humanity and doing various odd jobs within the FreeBSDProject. I became a Ports
committer in August 2007, doing my own thing for a while, mostly keeping to
myself, until I joined the Donations Team.

The Donations Team was
my first real non-ports function within the FreeBSD Project. From there
my functions evolved. I was invited to
take over as portmgr-secretary@ in March of 2010. One year later my membership was upgraded to
full voting member on portmgr@. I was
voted by my peers within the FreeBSD
Project to join core@this past July.

In my five active
years within FreeBSD, I was
fortunate enough to be sponsored by The
FreeBSD Foundation to attend BSDCan 2009, 2011, and 2012. At these
conferences I met developers from around the world, attended DevSummits and
advanced my knowledge of FreeBSD in
general by attending the talks.

The conference format
lends itself well to learning, socializing and camaraderie. I attended my first
conference just to learn the process and take in the experience. At the next two conferences, I was not only
there as a participant, but also to also represent portmgr@.

I have said time and
time again that I am purely a hobbyist in FreeBSD. Because of the
generosity of The FreeBSD Foundation,
I have been able to meet with other
like-minded people and do my part to share my knowledge and friendship.

Thomas Abthorpe

Donate today to help us continue and increase our support of the FreeBSD Project and community worldwide! Making a donation is quick and easy. To make a donation go to: http://www.freebsdfoundation.org/donate/

Friday, January 4, 2013

We want to thank everyone for helping us exceed our fundraising goal for 2012. We are thrilled to report we raised $753,378. And, checks are still coming in! We should have final numbers by mid-January. Donation receipts will be emailed and mailed out by the end of January. If you made a donation and you can't find your name on our donor list, please let us know. We received so many donations in December, that we missed adding some names.

We can't thank you enough for your overwhelming support of the FreeBSD Foundation and Project. As we prepare our 2013 budget, we are very excited to be putting more funding in the Project Development area. In fact, we are always interested in hearing your project proposals. Do you have an idea of something you'd like to work on and need funding to help you accomplish it? Click here to find out about our project proposal process.

We also plan to help more developers attend BSD-based conferences. You can find out how to apply for a travel grant here:

As the new year starts, we are grateful for the working with such passionate people who give their free time to the FreeBSD Project. The commitment that you all share in making FreeBSD the best OS out there inspires and drives us!